Toothpick-dispensing device



C. H. BENNETT.

TOOTHPICK DISPENSING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1919.

1,345,984. Patented July 6, 1920,

f, 2 SHEEIS-SHEET I.

4 4 WITNESSES l INK/EN r05 C. 'H. BENNETT.

TOOTHBICK DISPENSING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED-SEPT.29,1919.

1,345,984. ed y 6, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES rarer orrice.

TOOTHPIGK-IDISPENSING DEVICE.

AppIieation filed September 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (Jr-menus H. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Morris, in the county of Living ston and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Tooth 3iek-Dispensing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in toothpick dispensing devices, an object of the invention being to provide a sanitary device which will prevent the handling of the toothpieks and present a toothpick at each operation.

A further object is to provide improved means for operating a cylindrical toothpick receptacle having an improved toothpick gripper thereon which is movable into the receptacle to grasp a toothpick and convey the same to a position outside of the receptacle at each operation of the device.

With. these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure l is a view in side elevation illustrating my improvements;

Fig. 2 is an end view;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4: is a view in longitudinal section 011 the line .llof Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the toothpick receptacle partly broken away and showing details in section and in elevation;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing theparts in different position;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in section illustrating one position of the gripper A;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in another position; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in section illustrating another position of the gripper A.

1 and 2 represent standards connected by bolts 3 and nuts 4 with spacing sleeves 5 on shaft 28 and comprises two members 31 and the bolts whereby the standards are rigidly secured in upright position. A cylindrical casing 6, which constitutes a toothpick receptacle, is provided at one end with a hub 7 mounted in a bearing 9 in standard 1. A hub 8 fixed to standard 2 has a bearing in the end of receptacle 6 and an arbor 10 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

Serial No. 327,207.

mounted in the hubs 7 and 8 and has a bearmg in the standard 1. A pin 11 secures the hub 7 and arbor 10 together. A pinion 12 1s secured to the hub 7 and is operated by means of a vertically movable rack bar 13 movable in a guide 13 in standard 1 and having a lug 13 at one side movable, in a slot 13 in the standard to guide the rack in its vertical movement.

A finger hold 1% is provided on the upper end of the rack and the operation of dispensing a toothpick is brought about when the rack bar 13 is forced downwardly and allowed to rise, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

A clock spring 15 positioned around the arbor 10, is secured at one end of the arbor and at its other end to a pin 16 on standard 2, and a casing 17 incloses the spring. This spring is designed to return the receptacle 6 to its normal position after being partially turned by the downward movement of the rack bar 13.

An annular flange 18 is provided on the hub 8 and rigidly secured to the standard 2. This flange 18 has a lug 19 thereon and it is also provided with a cam face 4-8, as clearly shown in Fig. A hinged door 20 normally closes the receptacle G and is provided with a knob 20 to facilitate its opening movement. A spring catch22 holds the door in position to close an opening 21 in the receptacle 6, through which the tooth picks 36 are admitted to the receptacle.

A gate 23 normally closes a narrow opening or outlet slot 24 in the casing and is mounted on links 25 which are pivotally connected to the ends of the receptacle 6 by means of pins 26, and a spring 27 bears against one of these links 25 and holds the gate in normally closed position. A shaft is positionedlongitudinally of the receptacle 6 outside of the same and is supported in bearing lugs 29. A pair of coiled springs 30 and 30 are positioned around the shaft 28, 30 exerting a spring pressure on the shaft tending to turn the same in one direction.

A toothpick gripper A iscarried by the 32 one secured to a sleeve 33 the other on the shaft 28. The member 31 is operated by to raise the gripper A to the position shown -1n Figs. 1, 4 and 5, and a stop pin 44 on the lug 35 on the member 31 prevents the movement of the member 31 entirely through the slot 34, thus holding the member 31 while the member 32 continues its movement, thus separating the members and forming an entrance in the receptacle to receive a toothpick 36 between them. The toothpick is guided into position to be engaged by the gripper by means of shoulders 37 inside the receptacle 6-and a notch 33 in the edge of the gate 23 accommodates the'free end of the gripper.

A pinion 39 is secured on one end of shaft 28 and meshes With a segment 42, the latter having pivotal mounting on a stud 43 on the end of the receptacle 6. A pin 45 on the segment 42 engages the lug 19 to cause a partially rotary movement of the shaft 28 end of the receptacle Glimits the pivotal movement of the segment 42.

One of the links 25 is provided with a pivoted dog 46 having a spring 47 normally holding one end of the dog against the stop pin 26 of the gate. This dog 46 also engages a lug 19 to cause the gate 23 to open sufficiently to allow the gripper A to remove a toothpick and during the movement of the receptacle in the opposite direction, thedog sim )l swin s on its pivot 26 without affecting the position of the gate.

The flange 18, as above explained, is provided Witha cam face 48 which is engaged by the pin 45 on the segment 42 and this cam face is just sufiiciently long to cause the member 32 of the gripper A to move a properdistance inside of the receptacle 6 to grip a' toothpick. I

. The pinion 39 is covered by a housing 40 'which is adapted to frictionally engage an arm 41 on standard 2 to hold the device in dispensing position, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3,4and 5. I p

The operation is as followsf WVhen the rack bar 13 is moved downwardly, it will cause. the receptacle 6 to turn and as the receptacle turns and the pin 45 moves away from the lug 19, the springs 30 and 30 will move the gripper downwardly and into slot' 34 and notch 38. During this movement the dog 46 Will pivot as it strikes the log 19, the gate 23 remaining closed.

-As the receptacle nears the end of its turning movement in this direction, the pin 7 45 onthe segment 42 will engage the cam face 48 and cause the gripper member 32 ;to move. inwardly, the gripper member 31 being held against inward movement; by means-of the lug 35. The toothpick 36 falls into the position shown in Fig. 7 by gravity 'so'that'when'the receptacle is returned to normal position by means of the springv 15, the first movement in this direction ofthe receptacle will free the pin 45rfrom the cam article from the receptacle.

48 and the gripping members 31 and 32 will firmly grip a toothpick 36., As the receptaole nears the end of its return movement, the dog- 46 will contact with lug 19 and cause the gate 23 to open and be held open while the pin 45 and segment 42 engage the side of lug 19 to swing the segment and turn the pinion 39 and shaft 28 to give the initial movement to the gripper far enough to move the toothpick36 out of engagement with the gate. A continued movement will bring the gripper to a vertical position holding the toothpick at its outer end, as shown in Fig. 1. When the parts reach this position, the casing 40 will ride under the friction arm 41 and hold the parts in this position until the device is again operated.

l/Vhile I have described my-device for use in connection with toothpicks it is obvious that it might be used for matches or similar devices with but-slight, if any, modification.

Various slight changes may be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from the 1nvention, and henceI do not limit myself to the precise details set forth but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fallwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A device of the character stated, comprising'a receptacle having a rotary member, a gripper on the receptacle, means operated by the rotary movement of the receptacle for moving the gripper to engage an article inthe receptacle, and means for positioning the gripper to remove an article from the receptacle and hold it spaced moving the gripper into gripping position -in the receptacle, means; for moving the gripper out of the receptacle, and other means causing the opening of the gate to permit the removal by the gripper of an 4 A device of the character stated, comprising a rotary receptacle, a gate normally closing an opening-"in. the receptacle, a gripper on the outside of the receptacle, a

segment controlling the operation of the gripper, a pivoted dog operatively connected .to the gate, a fixed part, and a lug on the same, said fixed part and lug controlling the operation of the gripper and the gate.

5. A device of the character stated, comprising standards, a receptacle having rotary mounting in the standards, a pinion fixed to the receptacle, a vertically movable rack bar engaging the pinion, a gate on the receptacle normally closing an opening therein, a gripper on the receptacle, and means operated by the rotary movement of the receptacle controlling the operation of the gate and the gripper.

6. A device of the character stated, comprising standards, a receptacle having rotary mounting in the standards, a pinion fixed to the receptacle, a vertically movable rack bar engaging the pinion, a gate on the receptacle normally closing an opening therein, a gripper on the receptacle, a shaft supporting the gripper, a spring on the shaft tending to move the gripper in one direction, a pinion on the shaft, a segment engaging the pinion, and a member on a standard and engaged by the segment and the gate, whereby the operation of the gripper and the gate is controlled by the rotary movement of the receptacle.

7. A device of the character stated, comprising standards, a receptacle having rotary mounting in the standards, a pinion fixed to the receptacle, a vertically movable rack bar engaging the pinion, a gate on the receptacle normally closing an opening therein, a gripper 011 the receptacle, a hub fixed to one of the standards and having a cam face thereon, a lug on the hub, a pinion fixed to move With the gripper, a segment engaging the pinion, a pin on the segment adapted to engage the lug and the cam face controlling the operation of the gripper, and a pivoted dog on the gate adapted to engage the lug and control the operation of the gate.

8. The combination with a rotary receptacle having an outlet opening, and a slot adjacent the opening, of a shaft on the receptable, a gripper on the shaft comprising two members adapted to be moved into the said slot, a lug on one member of the gripper limiting the movement thereof through the slot, means for continuing the movement of the other member of the gripper into the receptacle to receive a toothpick between the members, means for moving the gripper to remove the toothpick from the receptacle, and means for operating the gate to permit such a movement.

9. A device of the character stated, comprising standards, a rotary receptacle mounted to turn in the standards, a springtending to move the receptacle in one direction, a vertically movable rack bar adapted to move the receptacle in the other direction against the operation of the spring, a toothpick gripper on the casing, a gate controlling the outlet from the casing, and means operated by the rotary movement of the receptacle to cause the operation of the gripper and the gate.

CHARLES HARRISON BENNETT. 

